sportif (III)
by Tess 4 5
Summary: Who said he could not benefit from her aikido-related knowledge? Who said she could not benefit from his rowing experience? And who said that a sunny summer's day in Oxford spent with assisting in the investigation in a murder case could not become... err... relaxing? The local detectives obviously were more than capable of solving that case on their own.
1. Chinese Meditation

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of _my_ stories and the developments _I_ let them go through. I also do not own any of the characters from other TV shows mentioned or appearing in this story. They belong to ITV.

Please write a PM if I did something terribly wrong. Thanks!

Please read and review! More thanks!

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 **Author's notes:** Another short idea that had turned into a longer story... (Well, yes, I also had thought about tennis but seriously - I still haven't found a good explanation why and how Barbara would practise _that_ for years.) Maybe later I'll find more sports... Maybe sailing? LOL! Anyway, here is another sporty one, this time a bit different to the previous stories and definitely longer. Besides, I decided to post it as an ILM-story though some known characters from other detective shows appear or are mentioned.

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 **Summary:** Who said he could not benefit from her aikido-related knowledge? Who said she could not benefit from his rowing experience? And who said that a sunny summer's day in Oxford spent with assisting in the investigation in a murder case could not become... err... relaxing? The local detectives obviously were more than capable of solving that case on their own.

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 **Sportif (III) - ch. 1 - Chinese Meditation  
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* * *

 _"You_ what _?!" he gasped._

 _"I've been practising it for years." she answered as if it was absolutely nothing unusual._

* * *

DI Tommy Lynley had just peeled himself out of the the sheets of his bed. He peeked at his alarm clock. Almost six. He could have slept another hour but somehow he was already awake so why not simply get up, take a long shower and then go down and have breakfast.

He was in a small but excellent hotel in Oxford where he and his Sergeant, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers as a matter of fact, were sent to help or watch the local CID. Or whatever else the Superintendent had said about this useless co-operation. DI Lewis and DS Hathaway were more than capable to solve this case on their own. Lynley and Havers only were some nice sidekick, some guests that could help with minor tasks and stand in the way like Lewis and Hathaway probably would when they would be in London. Well attuned teams do seldomly need help - both teams had agreed on that in the first few hours of their partnership and from then on Lynley and Havers had a wonderfully easy 9 to 5 job, almost only were present and just added a few ideas but mainly did research and other things that usually were done by the local constables.

But since their bosses had ordered them into this co-operation they would make the best of it. The Met even had arranged a stay here in the beautiful college town only fifty miles away from London. That's why DI Tommy Lynley, Lord Lynley to be exact, the 8th Earl of Asherton, had upgraded their stay in Oxford and rebooked from the boring and simple urban B&B to this not so cheap hotel north of Oxford with more space in the rooms as well as on the outsides - big beds, huge ensuite bathrooms, a grand veranda and green plants wherever you look. The skyline of the wonderful buildings of Oxford was visible only from their rooms on the first floor. You had to look across some trees at the end of the big grassland in the garden. Barbara Havers had, contrary to her usual behaviour, not objected and not even argued that he had played his creditcard once more.

 _Ah, Miss Havers..._ Tommy thought smiling. He was in love with her. He had not known that his feelings for her were so entirely deep until recently. She had openly talked about leaving the Met and transfering to a calmer CID. When she had talked about Causton CID, in the middle of nowhere like Tommy thought, and since it had sounded as if everything of this transfer already was arranged he suddenly felt that he did not want to lose her. He did not want to work with anybody else. He would miss her presence, he would miss her remarks, he would miss their lunch breaks and their pints after work. And then he realised that he also would miss her scent, he would miss the coffee she always brought him and the brief touch of their fingers when he took the mug from her, he would miss the looks she gave him, the glares, the smiles, the uproaring laughter when they celebrated some solved case, the rising crimson in her face when he congratulated her for something good and he would miss the opportunity to put an arm around her shoulders in a half hug when she needed to be cheered up for something bad, he would miss her shy smiles when he caught her staring (probably into the blue but sometimes he hoped and thought she had stared at him) and her fierce objections and arguments against his theories when she was sure she was right with whatever they were fighting about. He would miss her in his life. And at some point he had realised why.

And he even would miss her adorable grumpiness in the morning when it was too early and she had had no coffee yet. Probably she was still sound asleep now, he thought and sleepily trudged to the window.

He almost stopped breathing by the view that was offered.

* * *

Barbara Havers was glad that His Lordship was not short of money and for once she had agreed on this hotel upgrade without any objections. She would enjoy the rest of the time she had with her DI. The transfer to Causton CID seemed to be agreed on. She would go there, finally make her exam for Detective Inspector and in a couple of years or maybe earlier she aspired to replace DCI Barnaby (the second, she had learned). She even already had looked for an affordable little cottage in Midsomer Market somewhere near Causton. Housing prices were much lower there. The only thing she would miss was a certain DI. Though he was - next to the promotion - the reason why she wanted to leave the Met. She could not bear to have him around anymore. For quite some time, for years if she was honest to herself, she had more than a crush on him. First she only admired him but little by little she fell in love with that man who was so absolutely different to her. Her working class roots were something she was proud of and also something of which she knew that it would always be in the way to even be considered as a fling by the Earl. Oh, yes, they spent all their lunch breaks together, recently they also went out for dinner quite often, they had a pint after work on a regular basis or once had watched a film (which was disturbed by their bloody mobiles buzzing unisono and calling them to a crime scene). Tommy, like she meanwhile constantly called him in her thoughts, and in her thoughts only, even had asked her out to some charity event his mother had organised in Nanrunnel, the Cornish village near the manor where he had grown up. And it had been a relaxed and wonderful weekend. He considered her as his friend. A good friend maybe, or even another sister, but definitely nothing more, of that she was sure.

Though she knew she would overcome that loss eventually she really would miss him once she was transfered so for now she enjoyed the rest of the time she had with him and made the best of this little escapade in Oxford their Superintendent had sent them to.

Like the days before Barbara had gotten up at 5:30 and in the first rays of sunlight she had tiptoed down the creaky old stairs, then - with a quick detour via the kitchen - out the veranda doors on the back of the house. She scuttered across the granite floor to the grassy meadow.

There she was now that Tommy looked out of the window. Of course she did not recognise that he was watching her.

* * *

What an amazing but nonetheless beautiful view, he thought. For a while he only could stare.

Barbara stood there in the dewy grass behind the house. She was barefoot and he was sure that she also did not wear a bra under that wide and thin, with the pastel lights of the morning shining through it almost aethereal, ecru shirt with wide sleeves. It was long and covered her bottom. The trousers she had on under that shirt were equally wide and of the same cloth. By the crinkled look Tommy would say it was her pyjama. _Not those funny prints anymore?_ he wondered.

In smooth movements Barbara bent and stretched her legs, turned her upper body, drilled and twisted her feet, made a slow step, stretched her arms and hands in movements like she was doing some of her aikido stuff in slow motion. She obviously practised some asian meditation. One of the kind you so often see in documentary films about china.

Though he was slightly irritated that Barbara was doing this, down there in the garden of this hotel, before breakfast, Tommy indulged in the view. Her delicate curves were hidden under the wide pyjama but from time to time they came into sight under stretched cloth when she raised her arm in a big circling movement above her head. When she turned and made another slow lunge her bottom really was a sight to look at. The features of her face showed a deep peace and such a radiating concentrated harmony he formerly never had seen on his grumpy, gruffy Sergeant Havers.

Tommy's hand reached out as if he involuntarily wanted to touch that face. He indeed wanted, but she was down there and he was up here and there was a window pane and multiple yards between them. His hand stopped flat on the glass.

"Bloody!" he whispered and forced himself to turn away. He had to get some cold water into his face, or better take a full cold shower. Something in his stomach had twisted _too_ pleasantly. How could he ever get through this day with that image in his head? Looking over the rim of a towel at his reflection in the mirror above the sink he started to grin. _That's the idea!_ He would join her, whatever she was doing there. Barefoot like she was and still in his comfortable pyjama he hurried down the stairs.

* * *

On the cold granite Tommy slowed down his pace.

"Mornin', Barbara." he said not too loud as if his voice would disturb the peace. The first birds already were chirping.

Barbara did not stop in her flow nor did she seem to be too startled or amazed that her DI joined her.

"And a very good morning to you..." she softly said in the rhythm, or better _flow_ of her motions breathing deeply in and out, then making a move like she was hugging something. Lynley almost expected she would call him Tommy right in that moment. "...Sir."

Tommy's knees almost went limp. That had been the breathiest, sexiest, most erotic _Sir_ he ever had heard. He harrumphed. Then the full length of this - for this hour absolutely un-Barbara-like - sentence went through to his brain. Something about this scenery was totally different and somehow strange.

Grinning he placed himself diagonally behind her and curiously tried to mimick her movements.

"What are you doing in the garden at this unholy hour of day?"

For a few breathes Barbara was silently continuing her exercises then she seemed to push down something heavy and stayed in that position.

"I'm practising qìgōng and tàijí quán*, Sir, some sort of Chinese way to start the day." Barbara answered with closed eyes. Tommy took the same position and also closed his eyes. For a while they were breathing in harmony. He literally could feel the silence although his feet were a bit cold.

As if she had heard his thoughts about the cool dew Barbara continued with a murmuring voice. "If you concentrate on the position you are in, between the _chi_ of the sky and the _chi_ of the earth, you could feel the warmth of the earth flowing through your feet and legs to your centre. And from above the soft light of the morning floods you from your head across your chest and to that same centre." She breathed in and out. "Breathe!"

Tommy breathed.

* * *

Tommy could hear that she was moving again and so he opened his eyes. Her face was calm and earnest while she turned to the side and pushed something invisible aside in slow motion. Then she let her arms describe something like a vertical circle when her body turned to the other side where she pushed something else away.

"When you feel the _chi_ , the flow, the energy culminating in your centre you can create a space around you, a mighty sphere of that energy." She chuckled. Tommy never had heard her chuckling at this early hour of the day nor had he heard her talk so much before she had had breakfast or at least a coffee. "Well, _that for later is to learn_ , like my Sensei had said at that point." Again she breathed deeply. "For the start you should see it as a simple meditation, Sir."

"And you show me how?" Tommy eagerly asked.

"Of course." Her voice still was calm and she still seemed undisturbed. "Later." She bowed into the direction of the rising sun and then took a stance as if she was wanting to fight now.

"Aikido?" Tommy asked.

"Something like that." she answered and started some slow movements which Tommy tried to repeat but she made too much hidden gestures and complicated turns with her hands and twists with her upper body so he soon surrendered. He was not able to follow.

But he tried to repeat the hugging and pushing things Barbara had done earlier from his memory. Even slower than Barbara had done it but deeply concentrated. Soon he actually just stood there, entirely relaxed, knees merely bent, arms hanging in front of his body, palms and fingertips of both hands facing, with his eyes closed and his mind focussed on himself, the feeling of the dew at his feet, the beginning warmth of the sun on his face and the sounds of Barbara's breathing, her pyjama slightly rustling with her movements, the leaves whispering in the treetops, the birds and the waking hotel business in his ears. He did not even recognise that Barbara eventually had stopped.

* * *

She had finished what he had not been able to copy and had turned to her DI. Barbara really watched him for the first time this morning. For his age and lazy way of living he made quite a well shaped figure in that black silken pyjama. Everything at his appearance was alluring.

"Now, shall I show you a bit of that?" she asked. Tommy opened his eyes and they smiled at each other.

"I'm still wondering about this _all_ , but yes, please."

"Hm. I was quite stunned myself but actually there are already a few people I've showed this." Barbara said and went behind Tommy.

"You _what_?!" he gasped.

"I've been practising it for years." she answered as if it was absolutely nothing unusual. Tommy had turned to Barbara and looked tremendously irritated so she explained that she had started with the outdoor _qigong_ one morning after she had returned from a bloody awful crime scene. "The third slaughter of Johnson, you remember? After the Proctor case." Tommy nodded with a disgusted face. On that very morning she had found no sleep and had needed fresh air so she had gone out of her flat and to the shopping centre's backside where a little park was. She had exercised in the rising sun. It had been so recreative that she had repeated it the next day and almost every other day that she had the time. One by one she had had onlookers, and one by one some of those had come regularly and had asked her to explain and show what she did. Always with the hint that she was no _sensei_ and could explain it nowhere near as good as a real master would she had shown them some moves and told them a bit of the backgrounds.

"Unbelievable..." he mumbled shaking his head and pensively looking at his colleague. _Still waters..._ he thought but soon his mind was disctracted by her lesson.

* * *

"My sensei showed me some fundamental principles and easy first exercises. Well, those _he_ knows and practises, there are multiple other styles and principles... First: Raise your head relaxed."

Tommy raised his head.

"No, Sir. You don't want to kill the birds with your chin, do you. Just raise it loosely. Yah, like this. Second: Stretch your back into a straight posture and -" boldly she placed a flat hand onto his chest. "- you don't need to show off your muscles! Keep your chest back."

Tommy grinned. Her hand still laid on his chest and it made him a bit nervous. His heart pounded and he was sure Barbara was able to feel it though she showed no sign. When she placed her other hand softly on his waist he had to force his thoughts back onto the Chinese meditation she was trying to show him.

"Third: Keep your waist loose. Don't strain the muscles there." Though her hands left his chest and waist it was not becoming easier for Tommy because Barbara walked around him and now that she stood behind him he could feel the warmth her body radiated onto his. Her fists gently pressed into the small of his back. "Those muscles here. Don't strain them. Mellow out, Sir."

"Easier said than done." he croaked. Feigning to be oblivious to what he truly meant Barbara laughed. She had become a bit nervous too when she had realised that she actually had touched him like this. _And with us both being in pyjamas!_

"Now slightly bend your knees. Just go down a tiny bit. Feet stay positioned under your shoulders." Her warm hands now were positioned flat on his hips and with a soft pressure she pushed him down a few inches. "Stay relaxed."

"I try." Tommy mumbled. Some of her energy seemed to float through her hands and into regions that were distinctively _below_ his centre. He swallowed. Of course he had dreamed of her and of course it had not always been appropriate but the actual proximity, her actual touch _like_ _this_ obviously was reality. Tommy had never before felt this strong desire to simply turn and pull her into an explicitely unrelaxed embrace. His prayers pleaded for it to not deepen because wearing such a thin pyjama only would make this desire visible. He almost gave in when he felt her warm breath on his back and her hands stroking across his shoulders and upper arms. _Oh, please, dear weather god, let it snow now!_

"Four: Let your shoulders and your elbows hang down. Slack. But please don't slump, Sir." Barbara did not know how she could go on talking at all. First her fists in Tommy's back and then her flat hands on his hips, where she had noticed that he wore no underwear which had made her all the more nervous, were feeling great but now that she stood only inches away from his back she revelled in moving her palms across his tensed muscles. Under the pretense to show him which parts she addressed with her lesson she shamelessly caressed him. _Gods, I'm so glad he can't see me._ Barbara knew that she must look wanton like she in fact was at the moment. To actually, really touch him like this was far more, even mind-blowingly wonderful than any indecent dream she had ever had of him.

"And don't forget to breathe, Sir." She should follow her own advice.

Barbara ripped herself away from his backside and took a stance in front of Tommy where she did what she had told him so far. Together they simply breathed. In fact Barbara found it hard herself since they had locked their eyes and the lovingly contented smile she saw in Tommy's were not easy to interpret and less easy to handle.

* * *

"Now the next things are a bit philosophical as well." she continued her lesson. "Hold the balance. That not only means to keep standing, it also means to keep the void and the fulness divided. Arrange the weight accurately. Body and mind."

 _Bloody hell, my body and mind are totally unbalanced and only focused on you, Barbara!_ he thought. "U-huh." he said.

"Co-ordinate top and bottom, sky and earth. Remember what I've said earlier?"

Tommy nodded. _It was the breathiest, sexiest, most erotic_ Sir _I've ever heard._

"Close your eyes."

Reluctantly he followed her order.

"Form a ring with your thumb and middle finger. I'll show you something. Just follow where I lead you." When he had done like he had been told Barbara grabbed his wrists. "Keep your eyes closed." she murmured while she raised his arms and let him make some moves upwards and downwards. Then she had to let it go because the proximity she had put herself in had become too much for her to bear.

"Nah, this doesn't work. Just look and copy what I do. Keep in harmony with the inside and the outside." Her arms again pushed and pulled something invisible like she had done it earlier and Tommy repeated it.

"See? All exercises are calm..." She slowly showed a few sequences and Tommy followed. "It's a continuous stream... Don't forget to breathe, Sir."

He breathed in and out and then thought that he could do this forever. Tommy wanted to practise this meditational thing with Barbara each and every single morning of his future life. Again he felt that he did not want her to leave the Met, did not want her to leave him. He really did not want her to leave at all.

 _I have to do something._

* * *

After another fifteen minutes of silent, meditational exercise Barbara finished with a bow into the sun. Meanwhile it was fully risen and probably the breakfast tables were laid out by now. The sounds from the hotel had grown louder and it was possible that the two were watched by some of the guests from behind curtains.

"Usually I've finished earlier" Barbara explained. "and would be showering by now."

"I'm only happy that you already were so nice and easy... and politely communicative at this hour of day." Tommy grinned. "And all this before breakfast. You did have had a coffe, didn't you?"

"Guess what, Sir? This..." she bent down and took a mug with the last drops of a now surely cold beverage. "is no lush green tea. I'd never exercise without having my cup of coffee - no matter what the Chinese would say about that."

On their way back to the house they shared a companionable grin. Tommy held the door open for her and she stepped into the winter garden.

"...but I can't figure out why you still sometimes... or mostly? ...are as grumpy as you usually are in the mornings at the office."

"Because, Sir, I'm sometimes late, had a bad night or no coffee and simply am not always able to start my day with _qigong_ or with complete exercises. Do you think I'm trudging barefoot and in thin clothings through the muddy winter's streets to the park and catch the flu?"

"I even wonder if you wear exactly _this_ in the hottest of summers..." he chuckled and then bent down to her ear to whisper "Everybody is able to see that you wear nothing underneath, Barbara."

Her face went deep red. "Of course not, Sir." She emphasised every single word but then blushed even more when she realised what she had said. "I mean, of course I don't wear my _pyjama_ in the public park."

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 **...**

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 **Author's note:** About that Qigong-thing: yes, I've once came in touch with it and also have done some more research, but if you think that I've described something wrong, please keep in mind that there are many interpretations and mixtures with modern meditational practises. If you are Chinese, please feel free to enlighten me (per PM!), if you are not, well...

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* _qìgōng_ and _tàijí quán_ \- speak it somehow like English speakers would say this: _chee gong_ and ty'gee'ye chuan (and if you know the German ü the last part is more of a _chüan_ ) - I think this comes close, but, hell, don't ever think this is how a Chinese would say it ;-)


	2. Oxford CID

**Author's notes:** Although some well known characters from another TV show do appear in this chapter (and although they also take the main perspective with them for a few moments) this is still T&B-focussed so I think it is still no real crossover. Thanks once more to ITV and the Lewis writers for letting me borrow those characters. I promise I'll return them unharmed.

Ah... thanks for your reviews! :-)

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 **Sportif (III) - ch. 2 - Oxford CID  
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After a quick shower and a change of clothings both had cooled down from their quite unrelaxing experience in the garden and were able to face each other at the breakfast table. Their conversation was a bit strained but on the way to the Oxford police station it turned back into their usual banter. In fact, Barbara told herself, nothing really had happened but a few sexually tensed touches, no really flirtatious incident and by the way most of the tension had been in her head only. Of course, Tommy tried to convince himself, everything had stayed in its usual borders and if there had been something sexual it probably... well, _obviously_ had been all in his smutty mind.

During the whole day the two detectives from London mainly were busy with helping on that case assisting DI Lewis and DS Hathaway. Although there were a few nice moments of privacy...

* * *

They had arrived in the car park and Tommy Lynley opened the door for his sergeant while she still had been searching for her notebook in the glove box and in her oversized handbag. When she had found it she finally noticed him standing there, smiling down at her with the understanding but slightly mocking expression which unnerved her but which Barbara had learned to love over the years.

"What?!" she snarled overplaying her irritation. Tommy had learned to ignore and even to love that harsh reaction of hers over the years.

"May I lend you a hand, Madam?" He held out his hand to Barbara and much to his surprise she gracefully placed hers in it, swung both legs pressed together out of the car in one smooth motion - like she had seen the celebrities doing it when they arrived on the red carpet - and got out of the car like she was one of those stars.

Tommy still smiled. _She would cut a fine figure in a wonderful evening gown and getting out of the limousine in front of the theatre. I really have to ask her out to a Shakespear play this autumn._

* * *

Julie Matthews, Super Intendent Jean Innocent's secretary, stood at her window watering the plants and saw this scene.

"Look who's here..." she murmured to herself. "...the handsome inspector and his clumsy sergeant..."

"I beg your pardon?"

Julie startled. She had not noticed her boss coming to stand next to her and trying to figure out what could be so interesting that she could not answer to the simple question where the Miller-files were.

"Umm... DI Lynley and DS Havers just had arrived in the car park, Ma'am."

"Aha? And...?"

"Well, he is adoringly handsome and always well-dressed, well behaving, such... but she's a bit... what I've heard... clumsy..." Julie blushed.

" _I've_ heard they're the best team of the Met, despite their appearance, Julie, so don't judge those two books by their covers." Innocent chided her. _And yes, he_ is _handsome._ she thought peeping through the curtains.

"Yes, Ma'am." the office assistant mumbled. "They're a couple, aren't they?"

Innocent gave a disapproving sound. "Not every woman working with a man in the service falls for him and starts a relationship." She suddenly thought of a certain different _almost_ couple in her team. Well, not really in her team since the pathology department is not really under her command. She sighed. _Unfortunately some_ should _start such a relationship and simply are blind in that matter._ She watched Tommy and Barbara walk through the entrance with him holding the door open for her and with his guiding and protecting hand in the small of her back. _Mmh, well, yes, those two from London are at least_ very _close friends._

She decided to go check on them in Lewis' office this morning. A few days ago she only had welcomed them and had left them alone with Lewis and Hathaway, letting them do their work from then on.

* * *

It was shortly after nine when Super Intendent Jean Innocent walked into Lewis' office with the self-confidence only a woman in a high position could have. And safe in the knowledge that nobody would question her presence. After all she needed to know how far they had come with the case and what is better than asking them personally?

"Gentlemen! Sergeant Havers! What do we have so far?" she asked and then she let them tell her. Mainly Robbie Lewis spoke because he was the leading DI. Though she listened closely to his deliberations she had all the time in the world to have an eye on the handsome dark inspector born in Cornwall. Of course she had read his CV so she knew of his noble background and she had heard of his reputation. She also had heard of his reputation as a womaniser after the tragic loss of his wife and now he seemed to be working on his sergeant. He exchanged silent conversations with her, they stood close to each other all the time and even did not fear physical contact. At least it seemed that they searched for it but tried to cover it with pretended accidents. Lynley had touched Havers' elbow at one or the other occasion and after a joke from Hathaway at the expense of Lynley DS Havers had laughed out loud but, with her sitting on a desk and him propped with his hip against it, she had apologisingly nudged his shoulder with her own which made his frowning face instantly turn soft. But they did not show the little secret and a bit _more_ intimate signs of an established clandestine love affair. There obviously was none. Not _yet_ , of that Innocent was sure.

After the briefing and some words with the partnered teams she left the office most assured that the two Londoners were their own worst enemy in the matter of their private relationship though she also feared that she herself now was Barbara Havers' very own enemy, seeing the jealousy in the sergeant's eyes while she had exchanged a few and, she had to admit it, slightly _flirtatious_ words with Lynley. Innocent now was of the same opinion like her assistant that those two probably would become private partners if they only would have someone who would open their eyes.

"Ah, well..." she spoke to herself with a deep sigh when she was in the lift to her office. "I should stay focussed on Robbie and Laura."

* * *

The two teams agreed that they would spend the morning separately. While DS James Hathaway and DI Robbie Lewis would be away in the town to visit some witnesses and the crime scene once more, Tommy and Barbara would stay at the office and have a second view on the facts they had collected so far. They made copies of all pictures and arranged a second whiteboard with all facts, evidents and unbreakable links they had brought together so far. They pinned some flags onto a second map and recapitulated their thoughts and theories standing in front of it. It was one of their usual exchange the office in London knew very well.

Eventually DC Hanson stopped by and listened for a while.

"Are you fighting or is this the way you discuss your theories?" he boldly asked.

"What?!" Being disturbed they both turned and answered simultaneously, then looked irritated at each other and finally had to laugh.

"Yes, DC Hanson, this is how we discuss our theories." Tommy said with a grin. "But believe me..." He bent down to the young constable and lowered his voice. "...she's not always as peaceable as she seems now."

"Sir! I've heard that!" Barbara playfully slapped his upper arm. "And _you_ always are the one with the freaky theories! Who else is there to keep your feet to the ground?!"

Tommy sucked in air as if he had wanted to say something. _That's what you are, Barbara!_ he only thought and suddenly cursed being in this office. If they only were somewhere else and - what was more important - alone he would have told her exactly what he had thought and maybe he would have taken her in his arms and maybe he would have frankly told her that he loved her and maybe she would have had no objections when he kissed her then. Partly he was still shocked about his own bold desires.

Barbara was getting nervous under his intense glare and blushed. Tommy once had said it himself that she was the one who always grounded him but now she surmised that there was so much more in his look. Before she gave in to the temptation to touch his arm, or to smile at him encouraging or to simply pull down his face and kiss him, and the latter was what she _really_ wanted in that moment, she quickly lowered her eyes and shuffled the files on the desk next to her.

The young DC made himself scarce. _Never get between a marital row!_ he thought and chuckled.

With all the tension suddenly sizzling between them it really was not easy for Tommy and Barbara to take up the lost thread of their previous conversation.

* * *

All the theories and unproven links and probabilities they had discussed were based on one statement from a doubtful witness. This statement probably was wrong. Barbara was sure of that, Tommy believed it could be true, at least partially. When Robbie and James returned from their tour through the city they knew for sure that all their discussions had been fruitless. The Oxford police officers had nicked this doubtful witness but had decided to let him stew for a few longer moments while they would go out for lunch. There they would meet Dr Laura Hobson, the pathologist, for receiving a quick inofficial PM. She had called Robbie and announced that she would have a surprise for them.

They met her at a small bistro. The detectives already had ordered their sandwiches when Dr Hobson arrived. She made her way through the tables and waved with a brown folder and it did not escape Barbara that Lewis' face instantly went happy by the sight of the pathologist. They already had been introduced earlier during that case and after ordering her meal Laura finally told them what she had figured out. It made the simmering witness' statement not only appear implausible it also made him appear extraordinarily suspicious. They would be able to use it during the interrogation after lunch.

Dr Hobson left early and in a hurry. "Thanks for paying, Robbie." she chirped and gave Lewis a quick peck on the cheek that made his ears turn deeply red.

Robbie mock groaned and explained for the two detectives from the capital "I owe her a lunch or dinner each time she gives one of her inofficial and quick PMs."

The blond man next to him placidly nodded. "Mhm. And he'd never come up with the idea of asking her out for dinner _without_ a PM." Then James grinned. "That's why Dr Hobson _always_ comes around with her PM through unofficial channels."

"Cheeky sod!" Lewis mumbled. He and Hathaway also left the bistro and went back to the station to inform Innocent about those new developments.

* * *

Barbara and Tommy stayed a bit longer for a little dessert.

"Have you seen how DI Lewis looked at Laura?" Barbara asked with a spoonful of chocolate mousse in her mouth. "I believe there's more than a professional relation between those two."

Tommy let some vanilla fudge ice melt on his tongue and had decided not to answer. He just smiled and hoped that one day Barbara would think of _him_ as more than a man who was professionally related to her but of course he had seen it too how Robbie and Laura act with each other and that there was something going on between them.

"Have you seen his ears turn red when she had bid her goodbye? Gaaawds, this choc-thing is delicious!" She closed her eyes while she savoured another spoonful with closed eyes and an enraptured expression on her face. Tommy swallowed and took a big bite of his ice. He needed a brain freezer right now.

"And Laura had touched his hands suspiciously unintended when she had handed him the files." Barbara went on.

 _Like I do sometimes._ Tommy thought.

Barbara chuckled. "I believe she only had brought it with that purpose. She had declaimed everything from memory."

"You're a hopeless romantic, Barbara." Tommy mumbled with a smile.

"And so what? I've seen what I've seen..." she pouted.

"Yes, maybe you're right," Tommy admitted. "they really acted a bit strange and yes, Laura _had_ observed him all the time with a very loving twinkle in the corners of her eyes."

 _Just like I think you do sometimes._ he thought and suddenly regained some hope. He quickly re-freezed his brain.

* * *

When James and Robbie had left the bistro they talked about Barbara and Tommy in quite the same way.

"There is something going on between them, Sir." Hathaway stated while lighting his cigarette.

His DI objected. "Bollocks, James, they prob'bly only are good friends but they're no lovers. There's nothin' goin' on between them."

"Of course there is. They might not yet have recognised it for themselves but they do exchange the same sweet quick glances like you do."

"Who?"

"Well, you and Laura."

Robbie frowned. "We do?" _I'd never have thought somebody would notice me staring at her. And I never noticed_ she _stared at me!_

James took a pull on his cigarette and answered nothing. He only shot one of his meaningful looks at his boss.

In the afternoon thereafter the Metropolitain Police officers were closely watched by Robbie. Eventually he nodded his agreement at his sergeant. Tommy had brought Barbara a cup of coffee and their hands had touched "accidentally". She had given him a look that had contained more than a simple 'thank you'. It had been loving. It had been tender. Like the mumbled "You're welcome." and the smile he had given her. And the light rosy tinge on their faces had spoken volumes. Finally when Havers had thought Lynley was not looking anymore she had redirected her eyes on him. Robbie would say that there had been some sort of longing. _Oh, yes, there definitely is more than just a collegial relationship between them. Blind folks.  
_

* * *

 _And then_ he saw them standing at the vending machine where Tommy was buying her a chocolate bar and Barbara was objecting that he should not always pay for her meals like he had done at the bistro.

"...or like I'll do tonight." Tommy said.

"Huh?"

"When we go out for dinner." he explained. "I pay. Of course."

Barbara just rolled her eyes and busied herself with the chocolate bar.

"I take that as a yes." Tommy got himself a wafer snack.

"No, Sir."

"You prefer sitting in your room with a sandwich, a can of beer and the telly?" Tommy first chuckled but then sobered immediately. That had sounded really bad. He had rubbed in the fact that she was lonely. Tommy knew exactly that was her weak point. A very weak point. _Oh shit! Wrong words!_ Cautiously he watched her, hoping that she would not explode. _  
_

She only glared at him. That sting had hurt her. By the shocked expression on his face Barbara could tell that he had not meant it like it had sounded, that he had not meant to stab this verbal knife into the wound of her loneliness - but still it had hurt. He must have known by now that she was in fact lonely and that she actually did not like that circumstance very much.

"Umm... I wasn't implying..." Tommy flinched. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Yah, alright. We go out for dinner - you pay. Whatever. Change of subject." Barbara grumbled and dismissively waved her hand through the air. "Will you please excuse me?"

She walked off into the direction of the Ladies and Tommy visibly tried to give himself a mental kick in his bottom.

 _Poor bloke._ Lewis thought. _I know how you must feel._

* * *

 _And then_ Tommy and Barbara worked out a brief thought, that developed from a remark James had given, in their usual way of thinking through theories: thought - answer - scrap - new idea - objection - row - theory - question - deletion or agreement and so on. A verbal ping-pong mostly nobody else could follow or help with. They already had performed it a few times here in Lewis' office. While James, who had initiated this exchange with his outspoken thought, took his pack of cigarettes, got up and went out of the office, they were so engrossed in their exchange that they simply followed him to the fire exit - James inserted only one or the other almost unnoticed word - stayed there until he had finished his cigarette and constantly talking returned with him leading the way. James only shrugged at Robbie who had just disconnected the phone with pink ears and a caught but also quizzical expression on his face.

"They've eliminated two theories and three minor suspects, Sir." James crossed the three photographs on the whiteboard with the red marker and wiped away some text.

* * *

 _And then_ they paused for another coffee break and Tommy told her of his rowing experiences, of the Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford and his early years of practising when he was quite the clumsy fellow which made Barbara laugh out loud and mock him. Relaxed and laughing they stood in a corner of the big office.

"If you ask _me_ , Sir, they really need some push in each other's direction." James said to Robbie.

"Hm?" Robbie looked up from his mobile. He had texted with Laura. Maybe they would go out for dinner tonight.

"A push, Sir." James smirked. "By the way, kind regards to Laura." Ignoring the red-faced glare Lewis gave him he walked over to the guest detectives and manoevered the conversation to a point where he could drop the address of the boat hire he once had romantically gone to with a girl.

* * *

 _And then_ it had been high time that they drew their attention on the suspect in the interrogation room. He needed to be interviewed a second time. James stood with Lynley and Havers in the dark room behind the mirror and watched the interrogation held by Lewis and Innocent herself. That is, in fact, he watched the little motions of the two Londoners towards each other. The inconspicuos converging, the final proximity that was not at all appropriate for two colleagues but very appropriate for two persons who wanted to close that last inch of distance and touch each other. James watched the slight nervousness of both, the nervous but pleased looks, the shy smiles on their faces, the secret wishful glances they shot at each other. As silent as they talked they could have whispered endearments, James would not have heard them. He smirked and wondered if they had an eye on the interrogation at all.

"He's watching us." Tommy whispered into her ear.

"The suspect?" Barbara mumbled. Indeed the suspect nervously looked at the mirror after Innocent had confronted him with the fact that a witness had seen and identified him.

"No. The sergeant."

"Nah..."

"Or maybe just you? He finds you attractive, Barbara."

"Bollocks!" Well, that was heard by James. He shook his head and left the room. Maybe they only need a little privacy. He was tempted to lock the door from outside.

* * *

When DS Hathaway had left the room the tension suddenly turned more sizzling.

"Well..." Tommy said and dared to approach another few millimetres. "The fact is, you _are_ an attractive woman, and DS Hathaway is a handsome tall man, isn't he?"

"He's not my age, Sir." Barbara answered. _And he's not as attractive as you are._ "And, _in fact_ , he's not my type."

She dared to look at Tommy who seemed to understand that she tried to tell him that her type rather was the dark haired man. At least that was what he hoped to read in her eyes. He needed to know.

"So, what is your type then, Barbara?" Though nobody could hear them now his voice had turned low again.

"I won't discuss my preferences now, Sir." She was glad about the darkness because this way he could not see her blush. Seriously, Barbara could not tell him she had found out that her DI actually was her type.

"What a pity." Suddenly he realised that he distinctly could hear her unsteady breathing. Involuntarily his own breath stopped and he had to turn away making himself busy with one of the bonbons they offered in a bowl on the table at the back of the observation room. When he came back this one step he positioned himself behind Barbara. Basically he had wanted to avoid looking at her and standing too close next to her but then he found himself standing too close _behind_ her. Her scent reached his nose. Not only the unobtrusive perfume she used to wear but also her ordinary shampoo and, what was the most alluring thing, her personal warm scent. He closed his eyes and did not give a toss about what happened in the interrogation room. For once in his career he was not professionally focussed at all. He did not care.

Barbara could feel his warm breath on her neck and almost had sighed in pleasure. He kept staying there behind her and he surrounded her with a cloud of his warmth. He did not even touch her and she almost leaned back into his chest, which she knew was only a few millimetres away from her shoulder blades, only to finally feel him. The smell of his aftershave, that nobody else at the Met seemed to use (of course - it was too expensive), tickled her nose and almost tempted her to audibly inhale with the back of her head leaned onto his shoulder. In actual fact her thoughts already had gone three steps further ahead and in her mind she already had turned and snaked her arms around his neck to lower his face so she could kiss him. In her imagination he would press her against the wall of that dark room and kiss her dizzy.

"You _are_ an attractive woman, Barbara." Tommy whispered into her ear and his lips almost grazed her auricle. Barbara shivered and almost let go of a deep sigh. "Not only that. You are beautiful." he dared to add. His nose almost was in her hair when he inhaled. "Believe me. I'm a man. I should know."

His hands involuntarily had raised thmselves and now hovered above her waist. The warmth radiated through the cloth of her slacks. Everything in her mind screamed at her that she should grab hold onto this opportunity and turn now, or at least shift slightly to the side to let his hand touch her, but the other voice in her head, her bloody shy and cautious voice still kept her standing faced to the window. Despite his words, despite his tentative approach Barbara did not allow herself to believe that this was what it actually seemed to be. It _could_ not be happening. They were colleagues and good friends. He was the noble boss with all the fine words and she was the inept and rustically talking sergeant.

 _Yin and Yang. They belong together._ she thought. _No!_ she also thought accompanied by a mental facepalm. There was no way that anything her mind tried to lead her to believe could happen in reality.

"Shouldn't we focus on that interrogation, Sir?" Barbara croaked. When suddenly in that moment of closeness the door flew open Tommy dashed away like a caught teenager. It was pure luck that Lewis had not noticed anything.

"Well, you've seen him." Motioning them to follow Lewis rejoiced. They had not. They had not even really recognised that the interrogation room was deserted now.

How they could go on as if nothing had happened was a miracle but Tommy finally believed that he had crossed a line Barbara had not wanted him to cross and Barbara thought that it had not happened at all and had been in her mind only.

* * *

Later that day they had put the main suspect behind bars. He had tripped over his own lies in this second interrogation and finally admitted his involvement. A bit of paperwork followed after this unusually long day for Barbara and Tommy at the office but finally they called it a day. Tomorrow and freshly minded they could go on with the other witnesses and potential suspects. It would be some nice and easy wrap up they supposed.

"Pack your things, Barbara, we have a table at seven."

"What? No changing into evening gowns?"

"Barbara!" Reproachful he looked at her. She loved that look. "We're having a simple dinner and as far as I know the Queen won't accompany us."

Taking her bag she gruffly asked "Oh, did she cancel our date? What a pity..." and left him stupidly grinning standing at her desk. Sometimes he loved her sarcasm.

On their way to his car they met Laura who asked them out for some pub grub and a pint. "...with James, Robbie and me."

Politely they declined. Of course they had not talked about it and they would not but this evening they simply wanted to be alone. They had made a silent agreement on that before they had answered.

When Robbie and James joined Laura in the hall she ventured a guess that the two were a secret item.

"They aren't." James stoically said. "Either."

"Not yet." Robbie added and shot a hope-raising glance at the pathologist.

"Either..." James confirmed under his breath.

"Well, then they soon will be. They only need a little push in the right direction." Laura suggested smiling affectionately at Robbie.

"Hear, hear..." James mumbled and hid his smirk behind the smoke of his cigarette.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	3. English Rowing

**Author's notes:** Bloody tropical weather and a renitently blocked drain in our kitchen has kept me busy. Weather has become cooler and the drain can stuff it now (LOL) so writing (finish and polish) was on my agenda again.

One scene here is blatantly... well... _deeply inspired_ by our Oxford couple ;-) Thank you, ITV!

* * *

 **.**

 **Sportif (III) - ch. 3 - English Rowing  
**

 **.**

* * *

Tommy had asked her out for dinner and so he walked her to a nice little restaurant. It looked very exquisite from the outside but inside it was rich and still decent. But still, while she walked through the door Tommy had opened for her, Barbara silently voiced mild misgivings. Tommy took her elbow and smiled.

"If you don't slurp, everything will be fine." he said in a low voice.

"What about burping?" she asked under her breath with the most innocent grimace she was capable of.

"Don't be ridiculuous." he laughed and nodding at the receptionist he said his name. While the woman searched through her book Tommy nudged Barbara's elbow and whispered to her that he never had heard her burp during a meal.

"I could start tonight." she cheekily grinned.

"Don't you dare!" Happy that she could have her fun with this kind of situation that formerly had made her nothing but dismissive he also grinned.

"Mh... well..." she gave him a calculating look and finally both laughed. He was so glad that he had made the right choice since Barbara obviously was at ease with this restaurant.

"If you'd like to follow me, Mr Lynley?" The receptionist showed them their table and when they had sat down Barbara wondered aloud why he had not used his title this time.

"Usually you play the Earl, Sir."

"Well, sometimes I could be the common Mr Lynley." Tommy explained with an amused expression. "Especially when it should be an evening where I want to be simply _me_ , simply a man who's taking a woman out for dinner. Or do you finally take up liking my title?"

Barbara blushed a little before she hesitantly answered. "It belongs to you, Sir. Actually it's a part of who _you_ are."

"And you like it." he stated.

Barbara just gave an inarticulated murmur and hid her face in the menue. _It's_ you _! Of course I like it!_ she thought.

* * *

Barbara just had shot a brief glance into her menue when Tommy asked if she trusted him with letting him order their meal. She flipped the menue shut with a loud noise and nodded.

"Alright, surprise me. I trust you. And besides, there are no prices in my menue."

"Yes, because _I'm_ going to pay."

"...because _I'm_ going to pay..." Barbara rolled her eyes, parroting his words with a screwed up nose. "Pshaw!"

Tommy chuckled. "Have we not agreed on this? I pay - whatever - change of topic, those was your exact choice of words, you remember?" Then he grinned and took her hand. "Barbara, I _want_ to pay. I _want_ to invite you." Then something crossed his mind. "Or do you feel obliged? You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

"Yes, I _want_ to, Sir, of course I do." Her voice was a bit trembling. With a blushed face she looked at his hand holding hers. She could not concentrate on anything but the burning heat his touch caused on her skin. She harrumphed. "Haven't you suggested a change of topic?"

"Well..." Tommy drew back his hand. If he had kept it on hers he would have started to caress it. Since he had forgotten how on earth he had dared to take it at all - had he thought about it anyway? - a change of topic was a very welcomed distraction. "What if we talk about the Shakespearean Society and their Annual Autumn Festival in London?"*

"What should we talk about it?"

"How about I have a two-ticket subscription and I want to go there with you."

"With me?" Barbara snorted a laugh. "Of course, Sir, with _me_."

"Yes. Is it so absurd?"

"Yes!"

"It isn't. Why should it?"

"Because..." she stopped. _Because I'm clumsy, I have no dress, no shoes, no handbag, no coat, no jewellery, I'm not pretty, I don't know how to make my hair or paint my face, I'm talking by guess and by gosh or not at all, I can't move around in a theatre's lobby, especially not with your lot around, and finally I'm_ me _. I can't. I simply can't._ _ _I am hopelessly romantic and would get the wrong impression about this invitation a_ nd probably I would sneak onto your lap in the instant the lights go out and try to kiss you and make a total fool of myself._ Barbara blushed. "Well, _because_!"

"I would love to see you in an evening gown." Tommy smiled and raised his glass. "And I would love to watch a Shakespeare play with you." _I would love to be alone with you in my private loge. We could canoodle in the dark like teenagers in the last row of a cinema._ Now he also blushed.

"Yah, throw pearls before swine..." Barbara mumbled under her breath.

"I don't think so." Tommy chuckled. This would not be the last words on this topic, he said to himself.

* * *

During dinner they had a nice and amusing conversation about his days at Eton, her days at the 'state-funded school for commoners' like Barbara named her school and about his later years in Oxford. Speaking joyfully of his delinquent youth he eventually told her that he had tried a cigarette at the age of fifteen but had never smoked, not even later, regularly.

"I've had my first cigarette at the age of twelve." Barbara said rolling her eyes.

"Well, that's quite young."

Agreeing she told him that she had wanted to be as cool as her older friends at that time were so one day when she met them behind the schoolyard to hang around together she had tried a drag.

"Awful, disgusting, burning my lung." She shook her head and sighed. "I immediately coughed my lung out of my chest. But I held on to that bad habit until recently."

"I'm glad you've quit smoking." After a few bites he told her another one of his juvenile sins with a big grin. "I've had my first _joint_ at the age of sixteen at the tennis court at Eton."

"Your _what_?!" Barbara almost choked on her gravy-soaked potato.

Tommy still grinned. "Yes, seems I was quite the rebel, huh?" he admitted and winked at her. She placed her cutlery on her plate and dismissively waved a hand through the air.

"Oh, I can imagine _that_ , but _a joint_?!" Still not really believing it she almost laughed. Tommy and a joint - this was surreal.

"Well, it wasn't cocaine, was it?" Tommy looked a bit abashed and Barbara would say that he was sulking too.

"Yah, that's right." Barbara nodded and showed him a shy smile. "That's exactly what _I've_ said to my mum. And I had been pissed like a rat... umm sorry... _drunken_." Again she rolled her eyes while she said the last word with an extraordinarily sophisticated accentuation.

"And your first alcohol?"

"At the age of nine." Barbara leaned back in her seat and grinned mischievously.

"Wow!" Tommy simply stared at her. There _must_ be an explanation, he thought, and it followed on the heel.

"It was just a sip from a bottle of beer. Really not much. And my mum had kicked my uncle out of the house immediately." She had to set that right. "My first _real_ booze was at the age of 18. Said day with the joint."

After her confession Tommy told her about his own first contact with too much alcohol in his days at Eton and the boozy parties he had celebrated with his comrades at the rowing club in Oxford. He had not always been the perfect guy Barbara figured out and she really liked that human side of her posh DI with the hereditary title.

"I'm quite clean nowadays." he winked and raised his glass of beer. Chuckling Barbara clinked her glass with his. Unusual for Tommy he had ordered a beer instead of wine because for one thing it fitted to their meal, which was quite simple for this kind of restaurant she thought, and for another thing he knew that Barbara would prefer that. She had appreciated it with a thankful smile.

* * *

After dinner Barbara suggested a walk in the park. That was the same thing Tommy had wanted to ask for, so, while paying, he ordered a bottle of champagne and two paper cups.

"Paper cups, Sir?" the waiter indignantly asked.

"Yes, paper cups. Is that a problem?" Tommy raised an eyebrow. Sometimes he could parade quite the aristocrat, Barbara thought trying to find something to hide her grin.

"No, Sir, of course not."

"Ah, umm... and..." Tommy added before the waiter was gone. "Please do not open the bottle. We're going to take it with us."

"Very well, Sir."

"Do we?" Barbara whispered. "Sir, what are you up to?"

"You'll see, Barbara." Tommy equally whispered. "Just you wait and see." He had twinkling stars of joy in his eyes. After James Hathaway had mentioned the little boat hire Tommy secretly had searched the internet for it and knew where he would abduct Barbara to.

It was only a short walk from the restaurant to the river but the pavement they strolled down went parallel to the riverside path with no way to its bank. They could see it through the bushes and when they finally found a gap Tommy helped her climbing over the fence. He still held her hand when they stumbled down the slope with much laughter. Since it felt so natural to hold it he did not even release her hand after they had reached the path. Barbara's heart was pounding like mad when they quickly strode a few yards together, not at all in step but nonetheless grinning like happy fools, squeezing their fingers as if the slightest drop of pressure would end that link. Tommy was just about to say that they should slow down their pace to find some cadence when three cyclists loudly rang their bells to get past and Tommy jumped to the left and Barbara to the right side of the narrow way.

Unfortunately the moment was gone. Nobody dared to take the other's hand again so they seperately went on without a word but with one or the other uncertain secret look until they reached the boat hire.

* * *

Tommy was the first to step into the hired vessel. He placed the bottle of champagne somewhere under a seat and then took Barbara's hand to help her into the wavering boat.

 _If I have to be a helpless little girl in order to have him taking my hand - so be it._ Barbara thought amused but quickly freed herself so she could sit down on the seat with the backrest and grab the railing. "Stop hopping around, Sir." she almost cried. "You're gonna sink us before we even have left the harbour."

Tommy just laughed and plonked down on the opposite seat.

"It's safer than you think, Ma'am." the hirer mumbled and pushed the boat away from the jetty.

After they had made a few yards more Tommy stopped rowing and opened the bottle of champagne with a loud bang letting the cork flying somewhere into the sky. He poured each a glass... a paper cup that is.

"Isn't this much better than the prim restaurant?" Tommy asked.

"It wasn't _that_ bad, Sir." Barbara beamed. She told him that she would rather describe it as elegant but still 'normal'. "...truth be told it was quite nice."

"Exactly. It was quite _wonderful_ , I'd even say." Tommy raised his cup. "To a wonderful stay in Oxford."

"Cheers, Sir!"

* * *

After their first sips of that expensive beverage so simply drunken from cheap paper cups Tommy rowed a bit up the river. Barbara observed him openly and he enjoyed himself in the role of the young muscular rower. _Well, not really young..._ he admitted to himself. _And not really muscular either._ But Barbara obviously liked what she saw. At first they did not talk at all but then he started to tell her about his early days as a young rower, about his rowing trophies and his small success at Eton.

Barbara just watched him and enjoyed the champagne. The bubbly beverage was the best companion for this summer evening's boat trip. She told him to slow down the pace if he would not want to end at the river's source.

"I have to admit it's nice to be practising it again after so many years during which I haven't." Tommy said with clenched teeth and again moved up a gear.

"Okay, go ahead. Knock yourself out!" Barbara just shook her head with a grin.

Since it had turned hot, at least for Tommy doing the rowing work, he had taken off his shirt and now sat there with a tight sleeveless T-shirt. Barbara took the chance and studied the muscular work of his arms. He was no trained young man anymore but his arms were quite a sight to look at. Up to his face her eyes followed the wet trace a drop of sweat had left on his neck and on his cheek. She saw his smiling lips and looked into his eyes only to find him watching her in return. She only slightly blushed. Their eyes locked without a reason. There was no silent conversation in front of a witness, no hidden agreement on rejecting the Chief's command, no reprimanding look from him, no accusatory eyebrow from her. They just _looked_ at each other. They literally dived into each other's eyes. They lost themselves in the green and brown orbs. Of course their minds were racing on their own.

Eventually Tommy recognised that Barbara smiled back at him. She probably still was not aware of it. In fact she had let her mind wander down the road of imagination and for quite a while she only thought about how it would feel to hug him, to kiss him, to be kissed by him, to lie down on the boat floor with him and stare into the sky. She blushed a little more.

"You enjoy it?" he asked and slowed down his strokes. Though he would have rowed her around the moon and halfway to the stars he really did not want to reach the source of the river tonight.

After a short moment of re-organising her thoughts Barbara nodded still smiling. She whispered "Yes." and leaned back. Her eyes were fixed onto the riparian vegetation now. She suddenly felt like burning under his eyes.

Tommy forced himself to stay in his seat and not climb over and sit next to her where he could kiss her. In order to say something he started to tell her of his Oxford days where he was not as successful as he was at Eton College. It helped to cool down the hot atmosphere between them.

"They even had kicked me out of the rowing team, well, it was one of the lower teams of course, but still they had kicked me out. I've had too much... well, _other_ things in my juvenile head." He grinned.

"Like boozy parties?" she asked raising her paper cup.

"More like rowing around with girls." Tommy laughed and also took a sip. "Like I do now."

Barbara blushed and diverted her eyes back to the riverside.

* * *

There was something happening between them but both still tried to ignore it. Something seemed to have shifted but all the time Barbara told herself that it was all in her head and her aristocratic DI just spent a nice day out with his little sergeant. Tommy on the other side tried to remind himself of the fact that all her motives probably were those of a good friend. He was not her type, she did not see him as a 'commoner'. She once had told him... _that I'm the reason why she got up in the morning._ he remembered. _And what was that hand-holding about? She did not retreat. Both times. And this morning when she showed me her exercises - her hands were all over me!_

He decided he would show her how to row a boat.

"Alright, Barbara, since you've showed me your Aikido-thing-"

"Qigong..."

"Ah... Chinese meditation thingy..." Tommy rolled his eyes with a grin and Barbara had to laugh. "Since you've showed me _your exercises_ , I'm going to show you how to row a boat."

"Go ahead, Sir, I'm intrigued."

"Yes, yes..." Tommy thought for a few moments still rowing up the river. "Right. What is rowing? Rowing is a sport with origins back to ancient times. Egyptian times." He pulled a face that made Barbara chuckle. "It's based on propelling a boat on water using oars." By lifting the oars to show them Tommy purposely splashed water onto Barbara who quite unusually burst into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry, but I've had too much of that champagne, Sir!" she laughed apologetic.

As if he was unperturbed he went on. "By pushing against the water with the oar, a force is generated to move the boat."

Like an antiquated teacher he had explained it until Barbara could not help herself but laughed hilariously. "Don't be ridiculous, I do know the basics, Sir..." she managed with tears in her eyes waving her hand through the air.

Grinning about her Tommy still had more to say. " _Basically_ we distinguish nicely between _sculling_ and _rowing_. When the oarsman - which is me-" He gained another snorting laugh from Barbara. "-has one oar in each hand he is _sculling_. Whereas a rower-"

"Which is you!"

"Exact. Dipping one oar with both hands into the water on one side, to starboard or to the port side, ..." Tommy pointed to the left and to the right side of the boat. "...it's called _rowing_."

"So you're sculling now?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Well, then... Cheers!" Barbara laughed out loud and emptied her paper cup with one gulp.

Shaking his head with a grin Tommy did the same. _Why is she so far away from me?_ "Now that you know _all_ the basics, will you help me scull this nutshell down the river back to the hirer?" He turned the boat.

* * *

Barbara looked at the man opposite her who had talked so eagerly about this sport. He waited for her answer and there suddenly was so much she willingly read into his expression.

"Help me row our nutshell against the current." he pleaded again with a softer voice. Barbara nodded and sat down next to him considering if he had meant what she had heard between the lines.

"There's not so much current anymore, Sir." she murmured softly with a shy smile. "We're already drifting down the stream."

For a few heartbeats she looked into his eyes and waited if he had understood what _she_ had said between the lines. He had. But he did not dare to do what he so badly wanted, to do what she so badly wanted too. So with shaking fingers he only placed her hands on the oar, showing her how it was done most effectively. Her proximity on the narrow bench was almost killing him.

"Let's take things slow at the beginning." he said a bit husky as if it was an excuse for his inaction. He moved his own oar while Barbara tried to copy his motions. "See? Push it down and away from you, follow with your upper body, straighten your arms and in a circle lift the oar, turn your wrists... no, more like this, that's why you should grab it that way." His fingers softly stroked the back of her hands before he re-arranged them on the wood. "Ok. Better." He almost choked and needed to clear his throat before he went on hoping that Barbara would not notice his nervouseness. _Holy crap, I'm no teenager anymore. Get a grip._ "Turn your wrists, then lean back, arms still straightened, mhm... lean back, more. Not _that_ far, Barbara."

He grinned since Barbara had fallen back onto the top of the bow box behind them. She laughed and stared into the sky. _This is funny, but he really should_ do _something_ now _!_ she thought. _Or I finally know that this evening is not what I thought it was._

Tommy swallowed. Oh, yes, he wanted to kiss her right now and right then - the way she laid there, so beautiful, so relaxed, her hair glowing in the evening sun. They stared at each other, motionless, wordless. Barbara stopped breathing. She almost willed him to bend down and kiss her. But he did not. He waited just a second too long.

Then she cursed herself for being so stupid to think he even may have considered it the slightest.

"I'm sorry, Sir." she mumbled when she sat in an upright position again.

Tommy cursed himself by all angels and demons to be a bloody stupid idiot.

* * *

"Okay, once more." After he had swallowed down the lump in his throat he re-started his lecture. "Straight arms forward... turn the wrists while the oars dip into water... lean back... and only then you should pull your arms to your chest, then downwards... exactly... and again forward. Right, let's try it faster. The secret thing is that we have to be in unison."

A few yards they silently rowed the boat together. It was hard for Barbara to follow his movements since he smelled so wonderfully of his aftershave and she had to admit that she liked the hint of the smell of his exhaustion. His arm next to hers was warm and a constant reminder of his proximity. After a short while of rowing together Tommy only could hear her laboured breathing which even was drowning out the splashing oars in his ears.

It was bound to happen that they got out of step.

With a dark voice, which seemed to explain a different thing but rowing, Tommy told her that a fluent and harmonical process, a smoothly merging flow of movements was extremely important to the arrangement of the entire motion sequence. Every jumpy body and limb movement had a negative influence on the speed and flow of the boat.

"It's a continuous stream... Don't forget to breathe, Barbara."

It was exactly what she had told him this morning in the garden of the hotel. Barbara really could not go on like this.

"Jumpy movements also make the boat waver." she added with a little bit of fear in her voice while she got up and tentatively climbed back to her former seat where she could watch where they were drifting to. She did not feel like rowing anymore. In fact a cold shower was all she needed at the moment - this man had the power to distract her too much.

"Mh. Like this." With a boyish grin Tommy fidgeted and of course the boat wavered like mad. Seeking a solid stance Barbara almost fell into the water.

"Tommy! Stop it!" she shrieked.

Immediately he stopped when he had heard her calling out his name but Barbara only sat down redfaced and glared at him. "That wasn't funny at all, Sir!" Of course she had recognised she accidentally had called him by his given name. _It won't happen again!_ she secretly swore. Her blush was not entirely from embarrassement but it also came from the intense look he gave her which caused a swarm of butterflies fly around in her stomach.

"It's safer than you think, Ma'am." Tommy mumbled. He did not only mean their little vessel and his face signaled that he also had heard her saying his name, of course he had, and he really seemed to appreciate it. Very much. Too much.

 _Really, too much?_ she asked herself and poured the last drops of champagne into their paper cups. _Isn't that what you want, Barbara?!_

"Every now and then life hands us a bottle of the finest champagne." Tommy raised his cup. _You just have to grab it..._

"And sometimes it's even served in such a plain way." Barbara answered. _You just have to grab it..._

The rest of the fortunately short way back to the boat hirer was spent in silence. Both did not know how to get out of the tense situation they were in. Both actually did not want to. But both did not know how to make the last step. And both did not dare because there was so much at risk.

* * *

The sun already had disappeared but it still was not really dark when they drove back to their hotel with a taxi cab. He had not drunk as much as Barbara had but though he probably could have Tommy should not have driven his own car, and actually he did not want to be concentrated on something else but on Barbara but in the end they only exchanged a few words and mostly tried not to touch their hands on the seat between them. If they had the touch probably would have set the material on fire.

They arrived at their hotel, he collected their keys at the reception desk and gave Barbara hers not without touching her hand again more than actually was necessary. Though it could have been dismissed as a coincident she knew it was none. She gave him a shy smile and turned her hand so the back of it grazed his fingers on purpose. With his smile in return he signalised that he had felt it and knew. They had not talked for quite a while now and also stayed silent on their way up the stairs.

In front of the door to Barbara's room they stopped. She unlocked it and turned to Tommy.

"It was a wonderful day." she said. "From the beginning to the end."

"It was." he agreed.

"So..." Her voice trailed off.

"So..." Tommy smiled. "I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight. Like an athlete after a long day of exercise."

Barbara almost was disappointed. "Well... goodnight then..."

"Goodnight, Barbara." Without thinking twice Tommy made a step forward. Barbara's heart missed a beat when he bent down and gave her a brief goodnight kiss fully onto her lips. She had not moved at all when he had come close. Only her hand instinctively grabbed his arm but the rest of her body was too shocked to react. Positively shocked.

This kiss was too short, Barbara decided. He had made the first step, now it was hers to make the second. Her hand still was on his elbow.

"Was that all there was to it?" she asked without a breath. When he did not react but rather still searched her face for even more confirmation that he was allowed to kiss her again she silently added "Tommy."

Something clicked. Something fell in its place, in the split of a second and right where it had belonged for years. Tommy slowly gave her another slightly longer kiss to which she now gave a soft response and even followed his lips when he moved his face away from hers.

"Oh..." she said with a touch of disbelief. This kiss had been soothing and disturbing all at once. And promising. Barbara's stomach twisted in delight.

"Barbara." Suddenly he was lost for words.

"Yes? Tommy?" Her face was hot from blushing. His second kiss had caused a turmoil in her entire body she did not exactly know how to handle. Her chest was heaving under her deep breathing. Tommy nourished hope and stepped a little bit closer. Barbara's hand went down his lower arm but before she broke the contact he fished for it. Their fingers entwined almost automatically. When his left hipbone came in touch with her right side Tommy leaned against the doorframe. Raising his other arm he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and he kept his hand lying softly on her neck. His thumb stroked her jawbone. There was hope in her eyes and a certain longing he had not expected, not even after this afternoon of advances. His eyes turned darker with desire. With all the restraint he could muster he kept to himself what he actually wanted to ask.

"Am I the lucky man who is allowed to sneak into your dreams tonight?"

Barbara could not quite believe it herself but suddenly all her fears were gone. Today had been such a wonderful day with Tommy, her beloved DI. He had been caring, he had been funny, almost ridiculous sometimes, he had been nice and sweet and lovingly tender in some short and rather longer moments, and he had been romantic. He had caused in her enjoyably pleasant feelings today and she simply did not want this to end so soon. Tomorrow may be a different day but tonight she wanted it to be perfect, at least for this one night. And his eyes shone dark and loving and the cautious, reluctant desire she saw in them was genuine. She definitely did not only want to dream of him.

"Yes." Barbara gave him a shy smile when she opened the door and gave way for him to pass. "Yes, you are."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**

* * *

*Shakespearean Society and their Annual Autumn Festival in London? Don't try to search the internet, I've invented this ;-)

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **Author's note:** Thanks for reading and thanks for all your reviews so far. Originally I had planned to stop here but some more ideas had spouted while I had polished and published ch 1 and 2 so I've almost finished a 4th chapter which is mainly fluff (just slightly erotic but I'll get that smoothed out too...) so for now this story is **TBC**.

* * *

 **Another note:** On the other hand I think about spicing the text and you'll recieve an M-rated sequel instead of a 4th chapter - or maybe both ;-)


	4. Exercises

**Author's note:** Final adjustments finished in the end. Here is the  T-rated version of the 4th chapter. If you want the spiced version you know where you can get it.

Enjoy a little bit of fluff ;-)

* * *

 **.**

 **Sportif (III) - ch. 4 - Exercises  
**

 **.**

* * *

Barbara woke up alone. She sensed it immediately, even with still closed eyes, that the warm body that had spent the night next to her, the man that had spent the night _with_ her had been gone for quite some time when she opened her eyes a little later than the days before. Her alarm had buzzed softly at its usual time but she had put it on snooze two times. She had not wanted to face the world so soon. Apart from that she was quite tired. And she was entirely devastated that Tommy had left her before she had woken. She should get up by now and have a shower but at the moment she prefered to stay in bed. Maybe she would call in sick today. The duvet was warm and she still could sense a hint of Tommy's aftershave on it.

 _Tommy..._ Thinking of him Barbara sighed. Probably she would never call him by his given name again. Trying to forget that tonight she had repeatedly called him Tommy she remembered when that had happened for the first time yesterday. It had been on their boat trip when he playfully had shaken the boat just to tease her and she almost had fallen into the river. Oh, this boat trip had been so wonderfully romantic and still jolly after a day that had started with her giving him a _qigong_ lesson. The case they were busy with at the moment seemed to be solved during the day by DI Lewis and DS Hathaway and Tommy had asked her out for dinner in the evening. It had been a real romantic date and afterwards they had been holding hands on their way to the boat hire for a few moments and on the river the tension between them still had increased. She even had invited him openly, yes, she even almost had _told_ him to kiss her, but at that point he probably had not yet been sure if it was the right thing.

 _Or he was sure that it had been the wrong thing._ she bitterly thought.

Later in the doorframe to her room he had given her a sweet good night kiss and then everything had seemed to fall in its place.

* * *

"Am I the lucky man who is allowed to sneak into your dreams tonight?" he had asked and suddenly all her fears had been gone. His eyes had shone dark and loving and with a genuine desire. She had not wanted to only dream of him.

"Yes." She had given him a shy smile when she had opened the door to let him pass. "Yes, you are."

* * *

...

* * *

 _Despite her obvious invitation Tommy kept standing where he was, leaned against the doorframe, holding her hand, caressing her neck, smiling, and he earned an uncertain quizzical look from Barbara._

 _"You'll lead the way, Barbara." But first_ his _hand at her neck caressed its way into her nape and_ he _softly led her face close to his again. It was just a slight pressure that slowly brought their lips into contact once more. Barbara could have retreated if she had wanted to and Tommy even had stopped in front of her face but in fact she had been the one who closed the last inch to his lips._

 _This time their kiss was all but a sweet goodnight kiss. Barbara felt Tommy's lips gently nibbling at her mouth, she felt him wet her lips with his tongue so she parted them slightly to give him access. When his tongue cautiously entered her open mouth she exhaled into his. This man stirred the glow of her desire and she involuntarily pressed her body against his. Her hand that was not entwined with his went to his waist and she tugged impatiently at his belt. Tommy hugged her closer into his chest while their tongues twisted._

 _Both were heavily breathing when they eventually parted._

 _"Barbara." Tommy mumbled._

 _"We really should go in." Barbara almost moaned onto his lips. "Tommy."_

 _But they shared yet another desirous kiss in the doorframe before they managed to twist their embraced bodies into her room and closed her door by falling against it on the inside in a passionate kiss. Once safe from being disturbed by anyone inadvertently coming down the corridor their encounter turned rather impatient. All the tension that had built up during the day finally broke loose and later they could not have said_ how _they ended in her bed. Never stopping that kiss on the way there they somehow helped each other out of their clothes until both got rid of every annoying piece of cloth between them. Before the last thing fell he told her that he loved her and they fell onto the mattress together._

 _After this long day of pent-up tension they still were able to share a gently eruptive love. They both moved in an impulsive harmony led by Tommy in the most tentative way Barbara ever had experienced. It only had one really slightly awkward interruption when Tommy had to admit that he was not prepared._

* * *

 _"What is it?" Barbara had asked with a fearful voice when Tommy suddenly had stopped everything he had done and retreated. "Did I do something wrong?"_

Have I been too wanton?

 _"No, Barbara! Gods, no!" Tommy had given her a reassuring kiss. "It's just... I'd never have expected_ this _. I never would have dared to think you'd feel the same way like me. I've never allowed myself to think that you'd let me-"_

 _"Tommy..." Barbara had stopped his rantings and placed her warm hand on his cheek. Now was not the time for long speeches, she had decided._

 _"I'm not prepared." he had admitted contritely and Barbara had slumped back into the pillow._ If that is the only problem...

 _"The hotel_ is _." she had smiled with closed eyes. She herself had lost every rational thought but f_ _ _ortunately he had been thinking of safety_. "I've put them into the top drawer. Next to the bible. Not that I thought I really would need-" blushing she stopped her explanation. She did not know why on earth she had taken them from the bathroom to her bedroom. Not that she knew why the hotel provided them in the bathroom anyway._

 _With a grin Tommy quickly had found the condoms and had made sure this only would be a short awkward interruption._

* * *

 _It was short and very much later two sweaty wet bodies collapsed on top of the duvet. After regaining some breath Tommy started to caress her again. Softly he whispered sweet nothings into her ear to the end that he washed away every little bit of embarrassment that seemed to overcome her in the aftermath of their fulfilment._ _He reassured her again and again that he loved her until she whispered a soft and shy "...love you too." onto the corner of his mouth. His heart happily bursted into pieces.  
_

 _Hugging for a little while longer they fell asleep soon._

* * *

 _In the middle of the night Tommy woke and pulled the blanket over their bodies which made Barbara wake up too. Still a bit sleepy she pulled him close again and he could not resist her sweetness. They were fully awake and agile in quite a short time._

 _Fortunately the hotel would be prepared for a few more of those situations._

* * *

 _Afterwards, in the few minutes before they found peace in sleep once more they softly kissed and caressed each other again, both with a very contented smile on their faces and deep affection in their eyes.  
_

This feels like more than just sex. _Barbara thought while she savoured the feeling of his nose in her hair and his lips on her neck._

 _Tommy felt her breath on his shoulder and her soft fingertips on his chest._ This is deeper than anything else I ever experienced.

 _With a softly sighed "I really love you!" he let his head rest on her pillow and his body finally relax in her arms. She held him until both were fast asleep._

* * *

...

* * *

There had been only this single one of an erotically charged situation in the middle of the night and they had slept the rest of it. Now, alone in her bed, Barbara pressed her face into the pillow. It smelled of a mixture of her, Tommy and their nightly actions. It only reminded her of being a fool. _His oaths of love were said only in the heat of the action. It obviously was not heartfelt._ Not like hers.

"Such a bloody stupid fool you are, Barbara!" she grunted into the soft material.

In fact, though she felt nauseous reflecting about her stupidity to think this night's incidents could ever be something more than just _sex_ , she could not really call in sick today. This only would lead to questions she would not want to answer so with a deep sigh she heaved her cumbersome body out of the bed and trudged across the soft carpet into the bathroom. She decided to skip her _qigong_ today and instead take a long shower. She wanted to wash away the night and besides her muscles were in deep need of some relaxation. The hot water was a very welcomed refreshing blessing.

Since she would not exercise today - a bitter laugh escaped her at that thought - she had much time to take things slowly this morning. Clad only in the soft cream-white bathrobe with the hotel's insignia she slumped down on the chair in front of the dressing table and made herself a cup of coffee. She was not able to look in her own eye so after she had caught a glimpse of her sadness in the mirror she diverted her eyes to the soothing green meadow outside in front of her window. But that only reminded her of the sizzling morning with yesterday's _qigong_ exercises. The sun was just about to rise and Barbara feared the coming day. She closed her eyes trying to shut down all memories.

She and her DI had made love two times this night, they had shared wonderfully exhausting activities in her bed, they even had said the three little words to each other and the memories still moved her entire body. But he was gone before the day had started. He had not waken her to explain and he had left no note and no sign other than his scent on her pillow and the wobbly feeling in her legs. And the satisfied sensation between her legs. Barbara could not even cry. She only felt numb and used and-

She startled when there was a firm knock at her door. No, she was not in the mood to open it.

"Not now!" she whispered. Whoever that was could wait until she would be down in the breakfast room. _Her Ladyship is feeling unwell._ she thought with a bitter smile.

Another knock almost made her angry. Barbara was about to give a nasty retort but the person on the other side of the door was faster.

"Room service, Ma'am." a high voice tweeted outside. She had not ordered anything and supposed that her bloody DI would have ordered something for her as some kind of redemption but actually Barbara was thankful that she would be able to eat her breakfast alone in her room so she got up and trudged to the door hoping it _really_ would be breakfast.

It was.

* * *

Brightly smiling Tommy stood there with a serving trolley full of food. Barbara instantly spotted the vase with a single rose and swallowed. Did she go wrong with her assumptions?

"Good morning, Barbara." he tenderly mumbled. "I hope you've slept well?!" His face expressed a softness she had not expected but Barbara just stared blankly.

"Can I come in?" Tommy asked becoming a bit nervously uncertain. His mind raced around the question if he had done something wrong.

Without a word Barbara stepped aside and elaborately closed the door after Tommy had passed. While he was busy with arranging the breakfast she had to compose herself.

"I thought..." She swallowed. Tommy looked up. His loving smile encouraged her to go on. "I thought you've... left." Her voice though still faltered at the end.

With one long stride Tommy stood close to her. He wanted to pull her into a hug but her eyes stayed glued on the second top button of his shirt so after circling her waist with his arm he lifted her chin with a crooked finger and gave her a reassuring tender smile.

"How could I ever?" he whispered. "Now. Now that I've found you. Now that I've detected that I'm not the only one with those feelings." And finally Barbara felt relief wash over her when their lips met again in a tentative kiss. His arms still held her close to him when they broke apart and he explained that he just had woken early and decided to let her sleep a little while longer and then surprise her with the breakfast but first he had wanted a quick shower, shave and change into a fresh set of clothes.

"What about I get out of it again? I feel a bit overdressed here." he cheekily asked and Barbara blushed. Nonetheless she was glad that there would be something like a morning after. There could be hope that this dream would last longer than just this period in Oxford, maybe even longer than a few days or weeks after they would have returned to London. Maybe there was hope that this might last as long as she still joined the Met, that this might last until she would leave to Midsomer. Another cheeky question from Tommy, mumbled onto her neck, brought her out of her still dark thoughts.

"Isn't this now the time for your exercises?" he muttered with his lips leaving wet spots on her skin. "I really could do with more practice, Barbara!"

* * *

Tommy's last exercises were not as long ago as his momentary eagerness might indicate. In fact it had worn him out quite severely in the middle of the night when he had woken and blanketed their naked bodies which in return woke Barbara who had had something entirely different in her mind than go on sleeping.

Eventually though they finally did and they had slept deeply, but very early in the morning, before her alarm clock had gone off, Tommy had woken in her arms.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

 _For a few seconds he was slightly confused where he was but the warmth of the woman next to him made Tommy remember every second of the night before. He had made love with her twice this night and should be still asleep by now otherwise he would have his difficulties staying awake during the day. The weight of Barbara's thigh though kept his mind alert in a very alluring way. She had it placed on his, her foot on the mattress behind him._

 _He swallowed and watching her he directed his thoughts on something else._ No way! _It only worked for a few seconds. Barbara laid on her left side with her head in the crook of his arm, her right hand loosely gripping his biceps. Her breath wavered warm and even across his chest. Since the blanket had slid away and only covered them from their hips downwards he had full access of view and touch on her upper body. At first his hand laid on her hip but then he let it glide across her waist and into her back and then he could not resist anymore and gave her right breast a kiss._

 _Not really awake Barbara stirred and rolled onto her back, away from him. But the loss of contact was compensated for by the sight of her lying naked before his eyes, her right arm spread somewhere next to her head, her throat slightly stretched because she had no pillow - it was somewhere on the floor, Tommy supposed with a grin - her eyes still were closed and then she began a soft snoring. That was the reason why Tommy decided to get up and leave her to some more sleep. He would shower, dress and prepare a breakfast they could share in her room before they had to face the day at the office._

 _It was not easy to leave this innocently looking temptress lying there but Tommy intended not to let this night be a singulary one._

 _Quickly he took on yesterday's clothes that were spread across the room and with a last soft kiss on her belly he left her, hoping to return soon and wake her properly. Outside her door he cursed himself for forgetting the keys._

 _Well, he would knock when he would have returned._

 _That's what he did._

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Though he had prepared a nice French-English breakfast on his own in the still sleeping kitchen with permission granted by the night porter, eating was the last thing on their minds now. Tommy quickly discarded his clothes with Barbara's tender but impatient help. Her bathrobe was a much easier task. Embracing and kissing he lifted her off the floor and carried her across the room where they hit the mattress of her still rumpled bed and made love once more in the light of the rising sun.

* * *

They had dozed off after they had brought each other to exhaustion again. No alarm had been set so they slept until Barbara woke up with a start. She groaned when she realised they had slept in. Tommy stirred when she wriggled herself free from his limbs and soothed her that they just would excuse themselves by saying that it had been a long evening.

"Which it was." he smiled. "So we're not blurting it out but we're not lying either, are we?"

Barbara shook her head. Then she saw the two empty foil packs on her night stand. _Two! Not three. He would think I tried to bind him. And what if I... One shot, one hit. I do know my luck..._ Anxiety and insecurity surfaced once more making her frown a bit so Tommy came closer.

"What's it?" he was concerned but on the wrong path. "Would you prefer to make an official announcement?"

"No, it's just... We didn't..." She bit her bottom lip and tried again. "We haven't..."

Following her quick uncertain glance to the side he knew what she was trying to say. He had not thought about it either. "Oh..." he said. "Oh, I... I'm sorry I forgot to..."

"We _both_ should have thought about..."

The awkwardness that suddenly started to fill the room was cut by Tommy's smile. With his lips at her earlobe he whispered that he actually had not thought much at that moment. "You kind of kept me distracted."

"Let's only hope I haven't-"

"I've planned to make you my legal wife anyway so _I_ wouldn't mind at all."

"Is that already set or have you planned to ask about _my_ opinion?" Barbara almost snorted her retort. _He could not actually have meant it serious._ And she did not want to be played with. _  
_

"I had planned... I had _dreamed_ of asking you properly. With a rose, on my knees, romantically in the garden of Howenstow. And I've dreamed that you'd say yes." He was smiling like a school boy. He had not planned to ask her now, nor had he once thought he would _ever_ ask her but it was true that he had dreamed about it. _And this partnership was due to take the next step so why should I wait with the third and - maybe - also the fourth._ "So?"

"Bollocks." Briskly Barbara got up from the bed. _How could he ask something like that?_ Though she would have wanted to shout a _yes_ , she also thought that he should overthink it. She could not become his countess, could she? She was not prepared for that. She was not one of his lot, she really could not... _Or maybe he has gone mad at last. Or he is simply mocking me. That's it. It's just a rude joke._ "I'm going to take a shower."

Usually he had learned to love her harsh reactions overplaying her irritation. Not now. He had been serious.

Tommy slumped back into the pillow and groaned in frustration. He had been too soon with this question, of that he was sure now. But he also was sure of his feelings for his prickly redheaded Sergeant and believed she loved him too. Otherwise this night - and this morning - would not have happened this way. Or at all that is. So his question actually was _not_ too soon. Thinking about how he could repair what he seemed to have damaged his eyes leisurely wandered around the room. They fell onto the trolley with the now cold breakfast.

"Yah, that's it!" he mumbled and peeled himself from the sheets.

* * *

She had not locked the bathroom door so a few moments later it went open and Tommy came in. Barbara had heard it and turned.

"Hiya!" he said. Without asking for permission he simply stepped into the huge shower cubicle and without further words knelt down. He had the rose from the trolley in his hands. Her eyes widened. She simply forgot to feel awkward beeing seen by him totally naked and displayed in the bright lights of the bathroom. _He's not going to-_

"Barbara Havers." he began, blinking a bit with the spray stinging his eyes while he had to look up to her.

Yes, indeed - he _was_ going to.

"After too many years that I had not recognised what a piece of jewellery is working under my nose I finally have opened my eyes. There's no way I could go on living when it's a life without you."

She had not wanted it but she could not hold it back either. Barbara sobbed and it was not the shampoo in her eyes that made the tears roll down her cheeks.

Tommy took her hand and placed a soft kiss on its back. He still tried to avoid the spray hitting his eyes.

"I know that we both are more than different and that a future with you is not going to be easy in so many ways. But here I am before you, a naked man, like nature has made me - no clothes, no fripperies, no medals, no badges, no credit card and no crest - asking you to share a life with me. I know we both will have to adjust our crazy lifes but I truly believe that we have the strength to work it out together... that _you_ have the strength to endure me and be patient with me like you have for so many years now..." His voice trailed off when he saw that amused smirk in the corners of Barbara's mouth.

She looked down to him. He had such a serious expression on his face but he also looked incredibly sweet and unintendedly amusing in his attempt to blink the spray away from his eyes and keep his look romantically love-stricken. This was so cute that Barbara almost forgot _what_ it actually was that he was doing down there on his knees. A chuckle formed in the back of her throat.

He got up from his knees. "You're not going to laugh, my lady!"

Roughly Tommy pressed her into the tiled wall and fervently kissed her. The rose fell to the floor uncared for. Then his own lips widened into a grin and he had to stop in order to finally ask her the question that had been planned to be asked a little bit more romantic.

"Barbara Havers, will you marry me?"

"You're not serious, Sir." _Of course I will!_

"I've never been more serious than I am now, Barbara."

"Mmmh... a-ha...?" she hesitantly answered and waited for more. Her unbelieving eyes flickered across his face.

"Please say yes!" Love, hope, fear, happiness, faith and anticipation, strength and a loving softness - all at once it spread across his expression. Barbara gathered courage. Everything is possible when you love.

"Yes." she breathed and his lips crushed on hers again burying her mouth under his until Barbara insisted on stopping now and finishing that shower or they would indeed have to make an official announcement when they would show up at the office only late in the evening.

"But I want to... I really _need_ to have a little more time to adjust to all this... Tommy..." she closed her eyes and let her head slump back against the wall. "It still feels as if it's a freaky dream..."

"No, Barbara." he kissed the tip of her nose. "This is bloody gorgeous reality."

Tommy was sure they would be able to deal with everything that might follow.

* * *

After their shared shower they dressed and at the same time ate some of their breakfast in a bit of a hurry. In another still slightly awkward moment they agreed again to keep the latest developments in their private relationship hidden for a while. They both would not want to quit their partnership at work and of course would not want to risk recieving an official reprimand for working as a team though privately related so soon.

* * *

"We can discuss the details later." Tommy suggested. "Maybe at dinner?"

Barbara nodded.

"So we have another date." Smugly grinning Tommy pulled her close and shared a last kiss with Barbara.

"See ya later, Sir!" she tenderly whispered before she tore away from him. She was happy in that moment that she was not wearing any make-up because he surely would have smudged it with his kiss. She was happy anyway.

Hand in hand they left her room but before they had reached the stairs they already had disentangled their fingers.

* * *

Shortly before noon they entered Lewis' office. The DI was at the phone but Hathaway looked up from his paperwork with an open smirk and a ' _You're_ late _, you little naughty ones, you!'_ clearly written on his forehead. Barbara blushed deeply at that so his educated guess was confirmed.

Lewis ended his call and welcomed them. "You're right in time to have lunch with us. Laura's waiting at the bistro."

"She's waiting for quite some time now." Hathaway murmured and Tommy was glad that the Sergeant's attention was diverted away from them.

"Huh?" Lewis asked with a quizzical expression on his face. "No, no, she's only just arrived."

Hathaway groaned in frustration and rolled his eyes before he sarcastically remarked "Of course, Sir."

The four went straight to lunch at the bistro where they met Laura again.

"This time without a PM." she said. "I just wanted to say hi before you leave."

The pathologist immediately recognised the shift in the relationship of the two Londoners. They acted quite different today. There was more love and more open affection in their eyes and today they really _exchanged_ those looks unlike yesterday when they had avoided being caught by the other. It could not be hidden anymore that something had happened between them tonight - their behaviour among themselves had distinctly changed.

Tommy set the chair in place for Barbara like he always had but they shared a contented smile when their hands brushed. During lunch Barbara even had caressed his knuckle with her index finger when the occasion had been offered and she had felt unobserved. Though it was a very quick gesture Laura had recognised it anyway. Laura also recognised the blush that crept over Barbara's face when Tommy stretched back in his chair after the meal. The hint of a cheeky grin on his face and the death glare Barbara shot at him told her that he probably was touching her leg with his or played footsie under the table.

The way they constantly hid their yawning they obviously had spent the night together and Laura was sure they had not brooded over paperwork. She was happy that those two probably had found their way to each other. She shot a sad look at DI Lewis. _Well,_ this _would be a still long way to go._ She sighed.

* * *

Later that day during the wrap up of the case in Lewis' office even Jean Innocent saw those little signs of affection and hidden caresses that told her of a considerable shift in their private relation, a huge step forward on their shared road. Of course she knew they had been in late today and she could very well imagine why. She decided that she would let them get away with this. When they return to London they would face enough problems, she guessed.

 _At least those two seem to have come to their senses..._ She sighed before she picked up the phone. Back in her office she also had made the decision to let them know what she thought. She called Lewis' phone to order the two Metropolitains into her office for some final words about this co-operation.

After the exchange of some polite words how well all this went along and how quick and smooth they worked out this case Super Intendent Innocent expressed regrets that this was going to end soon.

"We all have learned from each other." she said. "And we will have a few changes soon. I suppose, you both face that too."

Tommy exchanged a brief look with Barbara before he answered. "Yes, I guess so, Ma'am. I agree that we've learned a lot during our stay here. The change of location will sometimes bring out a change of views."

Innocent's eyes almost bored into his soul. He offered nothing but when she diverted her eyes to Barbara she saw everything. The DS did not even dare to look at her and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. Obviously she feared the worst.

"I suppose your partnership is affected by the visit here in Oxford too." Innocent went on and if it was not by now with that statement it was clear for the two on the other side of the desk that she was not talking about work anymore. She knew what happened between them. "I can assure you I won't mention your... umm... today's delay in the report, but if Sir Hillier asked me I won't lie, you understand that I suppose."

They nodded in unison like two pupils in front of the head master. Of course she did not mean their tardiness. Tommy offered understanding. "He can be nit-picking sometimes, but I guess that's unavoidable in some positions."

"You bet!" Innocent gave a short laugh but her face instantly went serious again. She should speak clearer, she thought. "Here everything might be a bit easier for you both but I'd like to advise you to be attentive when you're back at the Met."

* * *

"I'm going to Causton CID soon anyway, Ma'am." Barbara said and shyly looked at Tommy. She knew the office grapevine had been talkative and though she had not yet told him personally she knew that he knew of her plans. But undoubtedly the world looked a bit different after tonight. And especially after this morning.

"I'm going to resign soon anyway, Ma'am." Tommy said turning his eyes on Barbara. Of course he had known of her plans and wondered when she would tell him. This way had not been one of the possible scenarios. This way he had no chance to tell her straight away what he thought about it. But there will be time for it later, maybe at dinner.

Both stared at each other without a word for a few seconds. Innocent was partly forgotten. He tried to convince Barbara through his eyes that he _would_ resign if she left the Met. She tried to convince Tommy that they would be separated anyway if she stayed and he should not give up his job only because she would move away. Then his proposal under the shower came to her mind. _Bloody, we really have to talk, Sir!_

Innocent viewed the spectacle of their silent conversation for a while and eventually shook her head. She had heard and witnessed this communication between them before. _They're quite a strange couple._ she thought.

"I think the last words weren't spoken in those matters." she said with a friendly smile. "But that's _your_ business. You should work that out soon. Good luck."

With a nod she dismissed the blushing couple. They almost had left her office when she witnessed how DI Lynley gently stroked DS Havers' back under the pretense of guiding her through the door and admittedly a bit amused she rolled her eyes.

 _Young love!_ she thought.

Super Intendent Jean Innocent did not witness the brief kiss the young couple secretly shared in her deserted outer office after the door had closed.

* * *

"Well, that was some sort of unspoken warning." Tommy smiled.

"You _won't_ resign, Sir." Barbara whispered. "I do not allow that you leave the service."

"And _you_ won't go to Causton CID, Havers." He caressed her cheek. "I do not allow that you leave _me_... Now that I've found you..."

"I-" She stopped herself and after an intense look in his eyes she went on murmuring. "I'd never, Tommy. But we couldn't go on working as a team anyway."

"Oh, bollocks, Barbara. We'd be separated no matter what so you can just as well become DI at the Met." Then Tommy closed his arms around her. "Recently I was asked to become Detective Chief Inspector so somehow we still would work as a team. Besides I have asked you to marry me and as far as I can remember there was a 'yes' coming from your lips."

He smiled affectionately seeing that she got the picture. Midsomer was not very close to London and if she would have married Tommy of course she would move in with him. Maybe even _before_ they would be married. And no, she would not want to live in a 5:2 relationship.

"What would Hillier say?" Barbara reasoned. "I mean... with you and me being a... team..."

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Tommy grinned and was about to give her another kiss.

Right in that moment the door slammed open with Julie Matthews coming in and they dashed apart. In fact they still _did_ give a damn if they were caught in such a moment of unprofessionality.

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 **Author's note:** Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing.

Tess


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